csharp-docs

Ensure that C# types are documented with XML comments and follow best practices for documentation.

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C Documentation Best Practices Public members should be documented with XML comments. It is encouraged to document internal members as well, especially if they are complex or not self explanatory. Guidance for all APIs Use <summary to provide a brief, one sentence, description of what the type or member does. Start the summary with a present tense, third person verb. Use <remarks for additional information, which can include implementation details, usage notes, or any other relevant context. Use <see langword for language specific keywords like null , true , false , int , bool , etc. Use <c for inline code snippets. Use <example for usage examples on how to use the member. Use <code for code blocks. <code tags should be placed within an <example tag. Add the language of the code example using the language attribute, for example, <code language="csharp" . Use <see cref to reference other types or members inline (in a sentence). Use <seealso for standalone (not in a sentence) references to other types or members in the "See also" section of the online docs. Use <inheritdoc/ to inherit documentation from base classes or interfaces. Unless there is major behavior change, in which case you should document the differences. Methods Use <param to describe method parameters. The description should be a noun phrase that doesn't specify the data type. Begin with an introductory article. If the parameter is a flag enum, start the description with "A bitwise combination of the enumeration values that specifies...". If the parameter is a non flag enum, start the description with "One of the enumeration values that specifies...". If the parameter is a Boolean, the wording should be of the form " <see langword="true" / to ...; otherwise, <see langword="false" / .". If the parameter is an "out" parameter, the wording should be of the form "When this method returns, contains .... This parameter is treated as uninitialized.". Use <paramref to reference parameter names in documentation. Use <typeparam to describe type parameters in generic types or methods. Use <typeparamref to reference type parameters in documentation. Use <returns to describe what the method returns. The description should be a noun phrase that doesn't specify the data type. Begin with an introductory article. If the return type is Boolean, the wording should be of the form " <see langword="true" / if ...; otherwise, <see langword="false" / .". Constructors The summary wording should be "Initializes a new instance of the <Class class [or struct].". Properties The <summary should start with: "Gets or sets..." for a read write property. "Gets..." for a read only property. "Gets [or sets] a value that indicates whether..." for properties that return a Boolean value. Use <value to describe the value of the property. The description should be a noun phrase that doesn't specify the data type. If the property has a default value, add it in a separate sentence, for example, "The default is <see langword="false" / ". If the value type is Boolean, the wording should be of the form " <see langword="true" / if ...; otherwise, <see langword="false" / . The default is ...". Exceptions Use <exception cref to document exceptions thrown by constructors, properties, indexers, methods, operators, and events. Document all exceptions thrown directly by the member. For exceptions thrown by nested members, document only the exceptions users are most likely to encounter. The description of the exception describes the condition under which it's thrown. Omit "Thrown if ..." or "If ..." at the beginning of the sentence. Just state the condition directly, for example "An error occurred when accessing a Message Queuing API."